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Poster:	billbarstad	Date:	April 07, 2010 02:41:05pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

Pretty Maids All In A Row Not PD

Type of Work: Motion Picture
Registration Number / Date: RE0000811078 / 1999-06-29
Renewal registration for: LP0000038904 / 1971-03-23
Title: Pretty maids all in a row. By Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
Copyright Claimant: Turner Entertainment Company (PWH)

Variant title: Pretty maids all in a row.
Names: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
Turner Entertainment Company

The Dion Brothers aka The Gravy Train Not PD.

Type of Work: Motion Picture
Registration Number / Date: RE0000879585 / 2002-12-20
Renewal registration for: LP0000043755 / 1974-06-16
Title: The gravy train. By Tomorrow Entertainment, Inc.
Copyright Claimant: Classic Media, Inc. (PWH)

Variant title: The gravy train.
Other Title: Dion Brothers
Dion Bros.
Names: Tomorrow Entertainment, Inc.
Classic Media, Inc.

Massacre Mafia Style aka The Executioner PD?

This one looks like it's PD. I'd like to see Video-Cellar comment on this, but it was released in 1978, registered 4 years later, and there is no renewal notice.

Type of Work: Motion Picture
Registration Number / Date: PA0000125214 / 1982-01-04
Application Title: Like father, like son.
Title: The Executioner / produced, directed Mitchell.
Imprint: [s.l. : s.n.], c1981.
Description: 1 videocassette (VHS) (84 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in.
Notes: Deposit includes pressbook (4 p.)
Cast: Dominico Miceli, Vic Caesar, Lorenzo Dodo et al.
Performer: Presented by Spartan Films & Joseph R. Juliano.
Credits: Director of photography: Kenny Gibb; editor: Tony Mora; music: Dominico Miceli.
Copyright Claimant: Spartan Films
Date of Creation: 1981
Date of Publication: 1981-05-09
Authorship on Application: Spartan Films, employer for hire.
Copyright Note: C.O. correspondence.

Names: Juliano, Joseph R.
Mitchell
Spartan Films

Il Boss aka Wipeout ?

Italian film. No info on that.

Twisted Nerve ?

UK film. No info on that.

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Poster:	PeteGCDB	Date:	April 07, 2010 02:44:26pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

Thanks very much for checking these Bill!

If theres no solid info on the PD is it worth uploading? Should I take more steps to find out or just go for it?

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Poster:	billbarstad	Date:	April 07, 2010 02:51:04pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

I can't say if it's worth uploading since I can't put a value on your time. If there's a takedown notice, well, it's happened to me a few times. Like I said, I'd like it if Video-Cellar would comment on that one. He can check the foreign films, too.

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Poster:	PeteGCDB	Date:	April 07, 2010 03:02:23pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

OK Ill wait and see if theres some replies on em. Thanks again!

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Poster:	billbarstad	Date:	April 08, 2010 08:23:11am
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

You should look in the beginning and end title sequences for a copyright notice. If you find one, it's not PD.

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Poster:	PeteGCDB	Date:	April 08, 2010 08:26:19am
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

Ok will do! Thanks!

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Poster:	HektorT	Date:	April 08, 2010 02:57:30pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

Il Boss and Twisted Nerve would have had their copyrights restored under GATT. As the copyright holders are not american and the film was not released in the USA within 30 days of the foreign release

You can look in the online copyright database to see if they filed a notice to enforce (NIE) but even if they didn't it is still under copyright. They just won't be able to claim monetary damages for infringement. But under the DMCA they can still have it taken down.

When you find PD websites with "US only" content, it is usually GATT restored stuff without a NIE


This post was modified by HektorT on 2010-04-08 21:57:30

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Poster:	PeteGCDB	Date:	April 08, 2010 02:47:03pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

Thanks for this info Hektor. One thing I was wondering is are low budget exploitation films more likely to be PD than the big studio films? What do you think the overall ratio is on that?

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Poster:	HektorT	Date:	April 08, 2010 03:08:39pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

Don't have any idea on what the ratios might be. But I guess independent and low budget films are more likely to be PD because generally big studios try to protect their rights. If a small production company went out of business and nobody was managing things when a film was up for renewal it went PD. But there are also a lot of examples here of big studio films that are PD due to errors.

I think the year is more important. Prior to TV and the internet, copyright owners didn't think that "old technology" works (like silent films) had any value, so they often weren't renewed. Probably some people didn't renew B&W films after color came. TV changed that when they learned they could put their old films into syndication. Now internet has changed things again, and everything can go online for very cheap. I think after 1964 most people who made films tried to copyright them too, but there are more than one Roger Corman's around.





This post was modified by HektorT on 2010-04-08 22:08:39

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Poster:	cosmico	Date:	April 08, 2010 03:15:07pm
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

On the subject of low budgets and PD films, when Roger Corman (him again!) ran his own little company in the 50s/60s, Filmgroup, none of the movies were registered supposedly because it would cost money and film prints to do so. I recall a quote from him saying that instead of sending a print off to the LOC, he'd rather have it showing in a theatre or drive-in somewhere making money.

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Poster:	HektorT	Date:	April 09, 2010 04:36:36am
Forum:	feature_films	Subject:	Re: Some titles Id like to add

LOL, I read that too somewhere. But I bet he is regretting it today! I actually called the copyright office once to ask if it was possible to borrow a print of a film. The response was really funny:

CO: Are you the owner?
Me: No
CO: Then no you can't see it!
Me: Who can see it?
CO: Only the owner!
Me: Well how can I see a copy of the film?
CO: I don't know, but only the owner can see this one!